Press Releases

New research from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) illuminates aspects of how an early embryo, the product of fertilization of a female egg cell by a male sperm cell, can give rise to all the many cell types of the adult animal. The findings, published today in the journal Cell, have significant implications for understanding how early development is orchestrated, and provides a mechanism for how parental environment might impact the expression of these genes in the offspring.

We are truly saddened at the passing of our remarkable founder and benefactor, Jon M. Huntsman, this afternoon. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family. Other than his family, his greatest passion was to eradicate cancer. We will honor his legacy by continuing to provide hope and healing to all impacted by this disease.

Researchers have identified two gene regions that contribute to multiple myeloma, an inherited cancer that occurs in bone marrow, through a new method that makes use of human disease pedigrees. Nicola Camp and Rosalie Waller of Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and colleagues report their findings February 1st in PLOS Genetics.

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah has been awarded a $2.4 million, two-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to help continue its research in breast cancer. Alana Welm, PhD and Bryan Welm, PhD, investigators at HCI, along with Michael Lewis, PhD, a colleague at Baylor College of Medicine, will use this new funding to serve as a Breast Cancer Patient-derived xenograft Development and Trials Center (PDTC) to research and test new drugs for breast cancer. This new Center is only one of four such Centers in the nation.

Researchers developed a new mathematical tool to validate and improve methods used by medical professionals to interpret results from clinical genetic tests. The work was published this month in Genetics in Medicine.
The research was led by Sean Tavtigian, PhD, a cancer researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and professor of oncological sciences at the University of Utah, in collaboration with genetics experts from around the United States.

Mary Beckerle, PhD, CEO and Director of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah, is this year’s recipient of the Alfred G. Knudson Award in Cancer Genetics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

A new study by researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah observed how breast cancer tumors evolve over time and demonstrated how changes within tumors may contribute to the process by which cancers no longer respond to treatment. Further, the research identifies that some of these changes may be shared across certain treatment-resistant breast cancers. The study was published this month in Nature Communications.

Risk for aging-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes was significantly higher among thyroid cancer survivors in Utah than it was among age-matched, cancer-free individuals, with those diagnosed before age 40 having the highest risk for some of the diseases, according to results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research

People with an inherited syndrome called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) have a 100% lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer if they do not seek appropriate medical care. Recent findings published by researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah identified a promising prevention treatment for patients with FAP.

The results of a national cancer survey find a significant number of childhood cancer survivors are worried about keeping their health insurance, to the point of letting it affect their career decisions. The findings were published today in JAMA Oncology. Anne Kirchhoff, PhD, investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah and assistant professor of pediatrics, led the study. Her goal was to examine the prevalence of job lock in full-time, employed childhood cancer survivors. Job lock is when an employee stays at a job in order to keep work-related health insurance.

New research from scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah and collaborators at University of Utah Health (U of U Health) sheds light on the complex process that occurs in the development of human sperm stem cells. This is the first study to characterize the changes human sperm stem cells undergo as they mature. The results have implications for understanding male infertility as well as cancer development and were published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah has announced David Gaffney, MD, PhD, as Senior Director for Clinical Research. In this position, Gaffney oversees HCI’s clinical research efforts which include more than 200 active clinical cancer trials at any given time.

Review indicates need to further explore relationship between fat and cancer. Adipose tissue, or fat, may influence the development of cancer in diverse ways, depending on the type of fat and the location in the body, according to results of a systematic review published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research

Mrs. Cándida Montilla de Medina, First Lady of the Dominican Republic, and her delegation visited Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah yesterday, Thursday, August 10.
During her visit, Mrs. Montilla de Medina toured HCI and met with physicians, researchers, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and members of the Huntsman family, including Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., to learn about HCI’s mission: to research cancer from its beginnings, develop new cancer treatments, and relieve the suffering of cancer patients.

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrates that a shorter course of radiation may be a good option for breast cancer patients who need radiation following mastectomy. The Phase II clinical trial examined the safety of treating women with a three-week course of radiation instead of the traditional six weeks.

Mesa County, Colo.--- Grand Valley Oncology with the support of Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah will offer a range of clinical trials for their patients. Physicians at Grand Junction Oncology will work closely with their counterparts at HCI to identify opportunities for patients in western Colorado to participate in clinical trials.

SALT LAKE CITY –Almost 6,000 new cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, are expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States. The blood cancer can affect both children and adults. Scientists have found up to 30 percent of adult ALL patients have what’s called a Philadelphia chromosome, where two segments of chromosomes have aberrantly fused together. (The fusion chromosome is much less common in children.) Adult ALL patients exposed to standard treatments often see high relapse rates, and treatment-related deaths remain high. But researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered new science, published this week in the journal Leukemia, that could provide better therapeutic options for patients.

SALT LAKE CITY – Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah (U of U) have been awarded a $9.1 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to serve as a Research Center in NCI’s Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC). HCI is one of nine research institutions nationwide to be selected as a Research Center in the CSBC.

Living in a stimulating environment has a wide range of health benefits in humans and has even been shown to fight cancer in mice, but the underlying mechanisms have been unclear. A study published April 25 in Cell Reports reveals that cognitive stimulation, social interactions, and physical activity increase lifespan in mice with colon cancer by triggering the body's wound repair response.